A Break In Transmission ....

I am taking a teeny weeny mini blog break for a time

as chemo is kinda kicking my butt at the moment

so I am going to be resting up, drinking tea and dreaming about George Clooney

 in an effort to get back on my feet quick smart

and get that paint brush back in my hands

happy painting all...xx

A Mixed Bag ...

It has been a bit of a mixed bag this week

the gecko has not put in an appearance so hasn't been painted

in fact we are thinking he may have succumbed to the curse of being named

or in his case of almost being named

years ago we had a Siamese fighting fish which remained unnamed for years

as we were sure he would go the way of our goldfish

but eventually we figured he was hardy enough to be named

and within days was belly up

so maybe the gecko is in protective mode

 or maybe he is just a wuss and is scared of the moth

or maybe the moth has taken him out

This is quite the moth mind you so maybe we can cut the gecko some slack

it freaked out poor Phantom by dive bombing her while she was brushing her teeth

which led to a comical moment of brushing teeth at kitchen sink while miming the attack

quite the performance it was

but she was still traumatized from a spider running down her arm earlier

so it may go somewhere to explain her nerves

though it doesn't explain why she randomly shed a safety pin on the floor yesterday

which she called a paper clip by the way... brilliantly stupid my child

but it was seriously random as we have no clue where it came from... bizarre

Also in the mixed bag category was getting my last round of the rubbish nightmare chemo

which is kicking my butt more with every round

but on the plus side it is kicking it so much I get two weeks off to get some strength back

before they move me onto the weekly doses which are much easier... apparently

I was bummed for a couple of days because I was totally focused on Jan 7 being my last dose of chemo and pushing it back two weeks seemed like it was going backwards 

and it means I am stuck at home longer which is starting to test my mental health big time

which also means you will be getting more drawings and sketches from around the house like this one of the chair by our front door

being stuck at home is feeling a tad restrictive and all a bit boring and I was grumping big time

but then I put on my big girl pants and started looking for the positives

after all these cute little tea cup themed snacks were waiting for us at chemo the other

hard to be down when you are faced with that fabulousness right

 plus I can start swimming again once this round is done

and I think the feel of water on my baldy head will be quite the thing

and of course the extra weeks off mean being stronger for the next type of chemo

which also means more time and energy to paint... I miss it more than I can tell you

though most of you understand exactly what I am saying

 it is like missing a limb not drawing and painting every day

so I promptly went and ordered more art supplies

in the brightest colours I could find and they are now tempting me with their lusciousness

can't wait to get into them and the studio looks like a happy place with them gracing the desk

Another mood lifter was receiving tea and elderflower flavoured vodka from my dear friends Jacket and Scarey and their gorgeous girls

who knew such a thing existed

seriously cool birthday present and  it came as part of a fab Bridget Jones themed hamper full of wonderfullness to get me through the next round

 and brighten the fact that I am going to feel like rubbish for my birthday tomorrow

I am so spoilt for fabulous friends, family and support it is impossible to be down for long

plus I had a lovely member from the golf club Keith, who made me a gorgeous pineapple and coconut slice to cheer me up and it is crazy delicious

and we are fighting over the last pieces

though I cleverly played the cancer card and am so getting the last of it... nice....

So despite the fact that the moth may have taken out the still nameless giant gecko

and that my daughter is about to graduate high school and doesn't know the difference

between a safety pin and a paper clip

and that I turn 46 tomorrow ... where did 46 come from???

There are lots of things to look forward to

I have so many fabulous online friends and supporters

 and your emails, cards, comments and notes make a difference to every day on this journey

the mixed bag this week hasn't turned out too bad when I sit and think about it

happy painting all ... xx

Nature's Fight Club ....

This week it has been attack of the bugs around here

well as far as the daughter is concerned anyway

you would think that a 17 year old would be bulletproof

especially when you have a nickname like Phantom Steve

it isn't like she is buttercup or something, though we are thinking a change might be in order

it has been hot this week ... like summer hot

so Phants has been out catching some rays and having a swim

but I noticed she was getting quite the tan line

not the tan line you would expect either this one runs down the sides of her body

so that from the front she looks tan, but the back is still glowingly white

I let it ride for a day or two thinking she might even it up... but no three days later still two toned

eventually I caved in and asked why

have to say I didn't see the reasoning coming

Phantom Steve claimed that two giant hornets were fighting

and, preoccupied with trying to kill each other, flew into her leg

she said that if they hadn't been in a death match they would have turned on her

and she probably would have died, or at the very least been traumatized for life

in fact she claims she has a bruise from the encounter... really...

now I accepted this explanation with grace and good humour 

while inside giggling like a maniac... two hornets... really ???

 never seen a hornet in our neck of the woods

but hey this is the kid who thought a grasshopper was a lobster

so the hornets could have been pretty much any winged bug

and I asked for clarification about the only lying on her back thing

apparently it has to do with being able to make swift evasive maneuvers

fair enough I suppose

Now I have been tempted to remind her that she is only seeing bugs

coming at her from the front and they could be lying in wait behind her while she suns herself

but I think I will save that one for when she is being a bit annoying

the look on her face when it dawns that she could be surrounded will be priceless

bugs are not her thing at all... they freak her out in a most satisfying way

which is not optimal as it has been quite the bugg-ish week

we have a huge moth that has made its way to the top floor of our house

and I hate moths... they are just creepy

and so we are waiting for our resident giant gecko to take him on

this gecko kindly eats all the mozzies for us, so after a few wet summers he is huge

and we are quite fond of him despite his slightly alarming size

and at this stage if he takes on the dreaded moth then he will earn himself a name I think

not sure what a suitable name would be for a moth eating gecko would be

and we have come to the conclusion that he talks like a surfer dude

 he has that sort of a laid back swagger about him so the name has to take that into account

but some time will be spent in consideration and suggestions will be welcomed...

So other than having a front row seat to nature's fight club

I have been doing some sketching in my books

little quick paintings I can do in no time to keep my hand in

I find it annoying that they don't scan well from sketchbooks

but as long as I am drawing and painting all will be well in the world

happy painting all ...xx